Method of making athletic game balls



July 27, 1943 M. B. REACH METHOD OF MAKING ATHLETIC GAME BALLS Filed March 6, 1959 Patented July 27, 1943 METHOD oF MAKING ATHLETIC GAME BALLS Milton B. Reach, Springfield, Mass.

Application March 6, 1939, Serial No. 260,203

17 Claims.l

The invention concerns a method of making t an athletic game ball of the inatable type such for instance as a foot ball, basket ball, etc.

In the accompanying drawing: f

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional View ol a portion of the wall of the ball built according to my invention. Fig. la shows a further step in the method.

Fig. 2 is a View similar to that o f Fig. 1 of a small portion of the wall with a cover applied thereto.

Fig. 3 is a face view of a portion of the ball.

In carrying out my method a rigid form is employed. This may be in the form of a hollow member indicated at l made of wax or other material capable of reduction, for instance by melting or by shattering the material into small bits that are capable of removal through a comparatively small opening in the carcass which is built on the said form.

On this form a layer of textile material 2 is applied. This may be a tubular knit fabric, say of cotton or like material. The tubular fabric is drawn onto the form and is stretched is so doing and thereafter it may be further stretched to the desired degree in any suitable manner, as by twisting the ends of the tubular member. In applying this rst layer of the carcass wall cement is employed. This may be used to coat the wax form, or it may be applied to the tubular knit fabric either before or after said fabric is drawn onto the wax form. Excess knit material at the ends of the tubular knit fabric may now be cut away, and in each opening left thereby a patch 3 will be applied which may consist of balloon cloth which is practically non-stretchable. This patch may be covered or impregnated with cement, which will fix said patch to the edge of the opening in this tubular knit fabric and to a layer of textile material next applied as shown at 4. This last mentioned layer is in the form of cord which is wound on the foundation layer substantially in great circles until the entire surface is covered. This cord will be united with the foundation layer 2 of stockinette by the cement with which the said foundation layer is impregnated, or by reason of the cement applied in any other suitable way, and it will unite also with the patch 3 by the cement which is suitably applied. The next step in the method of making the ball is to cut through the cord winding and through the balloon cloth patch as indicated at 5 down to the wax form. This step is performed after the cement has dried suiliciently so that the severance produced by the cut will remain eiective for the subsequent removal or displacement of the cut out portions. The cut at 5 is made a short, distance, preferably from the margin of the balloon cloth patch 3 leaving a narrow portion or strip 5a underlying the inner edge of the main part of the cut cord winding tobind together the end of the cord where the cut took' place. A plate of metal S is now placed on the cord winding in registry substantially with the area isolated by the cut 5, but extending outwardly beyond the cut so as to overlie the main body of the cord winding. and reaching for this purpose substantially to the point l. A second layer of cord 8 is wound over the rst layer 4 in great circles, and also over the metal plate 6. This second winding of textile material is laid in or with cement so that it will unite with the rst layer to form in effect one solid body wall which is non-stretchable.

After this second layer has set sutliciently, that portion of it which is in substantial registry with the metal plate is cut through at 9 slightly within the margin of the plate 6, but out of registry with the cut 5 through the previous cord winding and to the outside of said cut so that the cut out section 9-9 will be of greater diameter than the previous cut out section 5-5 and will overlap the margin of the foundation cord layer 4, where the latter is cut out at 5. The space appearing at :c in Fig. 1a is that left in the layer of cord placed temporarily to space 4 to receive plate 6 above it for cutting out the next layer vof cord winding after this is applied. Therefore, after the cut out is made at 9 9 th section thereby formed is removed and the plate B is then removed and then the same or preferably a larger plate is placed outside this second layer of cord winding 8 but in registration as before with the cut out sections. Next a third winding I0 Fig, 1a of cord noW can be laid in or with cement on the second layer of cord winding and over the plate. Next cut through this third winding at Illa slightly within the margin of the plate, but out ofregistiy and outwardly distant slightly from the cut 9 through the second cord winding layer so that the margin of this cut out section of thethird layer will overlap the margin then can be removed. y

These sections which are cut'outfand removedv are subsequently to be employed as patches to re-I build the wall at the cut out portion thereof.

When they have been removed the wax form is reduced either by melting or by shattering the same into portions or particles small enough' to be readily discharged through the opening through the carcass wall which is produced as above described.

After the material of the form has been reduced and removed as just mentioned, a bladder a of substantially' ordinary form is inserted into the non-stretchable carcass formed as above described, said bladder having any suitable filling valve, and then the bladder is blown up to bear against the inner side of the non-stretchable carcass.

'Ihe stem of the self closing filling valve may extend through any suitable opening in the carcass wall, or through an opening formed in the cut out portion above described.

Next the patches formed by the several cut out actions above described are reinserted into their respective places and fixed by cement. A strong union is formed by the restored sections or patches which overlie and are cemented to the margin of the main body of the layers at the open-ing. The inner patch of balloon cloth can be cemented to the inflated bladder, also at its edge to the edge of the main body of the first layer with which it is in line and it is cemented also to re-inserted sections or patches of cord winding.

The metal plate may be substituted by a plate of any other substance which is hard enough to aord a table upon which the cutting out actions of the textile layers can be performed.

By the use of a single thin plate in the carcass at a. time, for each of the cutting operations (which use virtually involves the shifting of the plate from layer to layer), the thickness of the composite patch will substantially approximate the thickness of the main body of the carcass Wall, and Will avoid the building up of extra material in the layers Where the patch occurs, one object being to provide a composite patch within an opening in the main part of the composite body wall which will be substantially of equal thickness, strength, and reaction to these characteristics of the said main wall.

It will be noted that in the sequence of patching operations the ball preferably may be taken out of the winding machine after each operation, and during this period between the windings the rubber impregnation is obtained preferably by dipping. Each individual layer of Winding is completely dried before the ball re-entersv the winding machine for the succeeding operation.

It is during this interval also that the patch is formed, and preferably after the winding has dried. I

An advantage is obtained by applying the necessary rubber content to each layer of winding as described, as an ordinary dipping operation is suiiicient to completely ll the interstices and coat the winding thread with the protective coating of rubber` necessary to prevent cutting of the thread through abrasion that would otherwise take place in the ordinary flexing of the wall of the ball that occurs in play.

The anvil plate, upon which the cutting is done, may be circular in form or of other shape. It may be of sufficient extent or diameter to afford a support for the cutting out of the largest section, which it will be observed is the section cut out from the outer layer of the wall.

In my use of the words single plate as above, it will be understood that said expression is not limited to the use of the same identical plate for all the cutting operations, but only to indicate that there is not an aggregation of plates in place at any one time prior to performing the cutting out of the patch. The plate may be used as a guide to do the cutting, or, as before mentioned, as an anvil member.

These cut out sections though made of short strands of cord become collectively one piece members when said strands are united by the cement, and are handled as one body.

Because the carcass composed of the laminations of textile material and the cement when set is substantially non-stretchable, it is determlnative of the size and shape of the ball.

Because the carcass is built upon a rigid form it is determinative of the size and shape of the ball. Furthermore the winding of the cord takes place against the foundation provided by the rigid form. The winding can be carried on with the desired tightness owing to the rigidity of the form, thus eliminating the possibility of misshaping the carcass at any point which might occur if the winding took place upon a yielding backing. It is of advantage also to apply the ilrst textile layer in the form of a textile fabric because the cord winding will have a suitable surface with which to contact, and thereby insureits retention in the position in which it is laid. This is true of the pre-fabricated layer or knitted fabric which has been stretched on the form before the winding of the cord thereon takes place.

The first cord winding will afford a proper foundation upon which the next cord winding is laid with assurance that it will retain the position in which it is laid.

However, I do not limit myself to winding one layer of cord upon a preceding layer as cord winding layers may alternate with layers of prefabricated textile material.

The substantially non-stretchable carcass having been completed in laminations of textile material built on a rigid form and patched, the nextv step is to apply a cover, as at b.

This is applied in pieces of leather or like material after the non-stretchable carcass has been distended to the limit determined by building it up on the rigid form, and this distention is due to blowing up the bladder which it now contains. These pieces of leatherare simply laid on the carcass with their edges adjacent, but preferably not abutting so that channels will be left between the said edges which may be left open, or said space may be filled in by a strip of material preferably having a channel or groove therein. The sections of the cover are cemented to the carcass. They are not sewed together because they are not relied on to exercise any restraint on the carcass against further distention, the limit for this being determined, as hercinbefore stated, by the non-stretchable character of the carcass.

The carcass is flexible. No sewing is done either in the carcass nor in the cover, and hence the ball is free from variables which sewing produces.

The invention may be carried out in producing a spherical ball such as a basket ball, or for other purposes. When used to produce an ellipsoidal ball the cord winding, of course, would not be laid on in great circles, but the turns would be laid on side by side.

By employing a hollow form whose material is y of minimum size and the main part of the wall which is imperforate may be of maximum extent, and by reason of the patch which is tted within said small opening being of the same character and thickness as the main wall and flush with the outer surface of said main wall, the carcass wall as a whole will present uniformity throughout and avoid the occurrence of variables, which would produce reactions not uniform at all points in its contact with the floor or other surfaces.

The opening in the carcass may be made at any desired point instead of the region where the open end of the tubular fabric may occur. That is to say, the opening may be made through the body of the Wall of the carcass at any point thereof.

The patch of balloon cloth ties the strands of the adjacent cord windings together. The same is true of the knit fabric. Before'applying the cover, the ball is subjected to suitable heat and pressure to effect uniting the parts.

For convenience of illustration, the actual proportions of the parts, as well as the relative proportions thereof, have not been lembodied in the drawing, so that no limitation is imposed on the scope of the claims in this regard.' For instance, the anvil plate in actual practice is much thinner than shown in the drawing, and the-size or diameter of the opening lled by the patch may be relatively smaller than shown. f

This specification is a continuation in part of applications for Letters Patent of the United States filed by me March 2,1937,- Serial No. 128,672, now matured into Patent No. 2,175,128, dated October 3, 1939, and May 26, 1937, Serial No. 144,938.

I do not limit myself to completely severing the patches from the main body, but may leave said patches each attached at one point of its circuit to its main body layer.

The article produced by the method described herein forms in part subject matter of my application Ser. No. 277,542, filed June 5, 1939, now matured into Patent No. 2,255,749, dated September 16, 1941.

I claim:

1. Steps in a method of making a spherical athletic game ball of Asubstantially uniform wall thickness, strength and accuracyl of reaction throughout comprising building on a rigid form a substantially non-stretchable carcassin layers, at least one of which is a cord winding of textile material in great circles, cementing said cord windings, cutting an opening through the layers, including the cord Winding of a diameter much less than that of the said carcass. reducing thel material of the rigid form to small particles, removing the said reduced material of the rigid form through said opening, inserting means rendering the ball infiatable, iniiating the ball, closing said opening by a patch of substantially equal thickness, strength and accuracy of reaction as of the main wall of the carcass, said patch including cord winding and being within said opening and substantially flush with the exterior surface of the carcass, and cementing cover sections on the carcass, substantially as described.

2, Steps in a method of making an inflatable game ball with a substantially non-stretchable carcass comprising applying a layer of prefabricated textile material upon a rigid spherical form, applying at least one layer of cord winding in great circles outside said first mentioned layer CII while the same is on said rigid form and thereby securing uniformity in the application of said cord winding because of the unyielding character of said rigid form, said layers being cemented together in substantially non-stretchable condition, reducing the rigi form and removing the material resulting f om said reduction from the carcass through an opening cut through the wall of the ball including said layer of cord winding, inserting through said opening means rendering the ball inflatable, infiating the same to the limit of distention allowed by said non-stretchable carcass, cementing a patch Within the opening in the carcass, substantially flush with its outer side, and cementing a cover in pieces of leather or the like on the carcass.

3. Steps in a method of making an athletic game ball consisting in building on a rigid form a carcass by applying successively and adhesively thereto a plurality of laminations of textile material, cutting an opening in a lamination, or laminations, applying a plate over the cut area preferably of larger diameter than that of the cut out portion, adhesively applying another lamination of textile material over the previously laid lamination, and over said plate, cutting an opening through said last mentioned lamination by using the plate as a guide or anvil for performing said cutting operation, removing the plate, restoring the plate in registry with the cut out portion, and adhesively laying another lamination over the same and cutting an opening through said last mentioned lamination again using the plate as a guide or anvil to do said cutting, then removing the plate, reducing the form, removing the material thereof through the opening cut through the carcass, inserting a bladder into the carcass through the said opening cut therein and patching the opening by adhesively re-inserting said cut out portions or other portions of textile layers Within the opening in the carcass.

4. Steps in a method of forming an athletic game ball comprising applying textile layers to a rigid form and cementing them in place, providing an opening through the cemented carcass by cutting out sections from the successive layers seriatim, using a plate under the laminations upon which the cutting is done, said plate being transferred or substituted by another from layer to layer for performing the successive cutting operations, reducing and removing the material of the form, inserting means rendering the ball inflatable and patching the opening by material cemented in place within said opening of the carcass, the plate having been removed after the final cutting operation.

5. Steps in a method of making an athletic game ball according to claim 4 in which the diameters of the openings formed in the laminations increase in successive layers outwardly.

6. Steps in a method of forming an athletic game ball according to claim 4 in which at least one of the said textile layers includes cord winding substantially in great circles applied by a Winding machine and in which the ball is removed from the Winding machine after each Winding operation, and thereupon receives cement, and is dried before itis replaced in the Winding machine, the said sections of the layers being cut out during the interval that the ball is apart from the Winding apparatus.

7. Steps in a method of making an athletic spherical game ball comprising applying to a rigid reducible form a layer of material adapted to yreceive thereon a textile winding in nonslipping relationship thereto, applying textile windings substantially in great circles to said layer in cemented relationship, cutting through the wall of the ball including said cemented textile windings providing an opening and a patching portion, reducing the material of the form and removing the reduced material through the applying a lamination of cord winding in great g circles upon said lamination first mentioned, applying cement to said cord winding to bond the turns of cord together where they cross each other and to bond said cord winding to the foundation layer, cutting an opening through the lamination of cord winding after sufllcient drying of said cord winding has taken place, applying another cord winding lamination to the first cord winding lamination and cementing the turns of the second cord winding at their contacting points together and the second cord winding lamination to the first, cutting an .opening through the second lamination of cord Winding after suillcient drying of said cord winding has taken place, reducing and removing the material of the form through said opening, inserting through said opening means rendering the ball inflatable, and applying patching material within the said opening.

9. Steps in a method according to claim 8, the said patching material comprising meshes of cord windings similar to the cord winding meshes of the main part of the carcass laminations.

10. Steps in a method of making an inflatable game ball consisting in Winding textile material in great circles upon'a rigid form, said windings taking place over a reinforcing member of textile material fabricated before its incorporation into the ball, and of an area much less than the area of the balls surface, cementing the cord windings to each other and to the said reinforcing member, cutting through the cord windings and through said pre-fabricated reinforcing member, reducing the form, removing the reduced material of the form through the opening provided by cutting the windings and said pre-fabricated reinforcingmaterial, said pre-fabricated material when cut serving as a binding for the margins of the cut textile windings.

11. Steps in a method of making a spherical inflatable athletic game ball comprising applying over a rigid spherical form of reducible material, textile windings substantially in great circles and with the desired tightness owing to the rigidity of the form, said textile windings being treated with cement bonding them in an adhesive relationship, cutting said cemented great circle textile windings providing a comparatively small opening therethrough too small to permit passage of the spherical form, reducing the material of the rigid form and removing' said reduced material through said small opening cut in the cemented windings, inserting means rendering the ball inflatable, closing the said small opening, and adhesively applying material covering the ball and its closed opening.

12. Steps in a method of making a spherical inflatable athletic game ball comprising applying upon a rigid spherical form of reducible material, a layer of material having a substantially nonslipping or friction surface, applying textile windings substantially in great circles over said layer of material on said rigid form and with the desired tightness owing to the rigidity of the form, said textile windings being treated with cement bonding them in an adhesive relationship to each other and to said underlying rlayer of material, cutting through the wall of said ball including said cemented great circle textile windings providing a comparatively small opening therethrough too small to permit passage of the spherical form, reducing the material of the rigid form and removing said reduced material through said small opening cut in the cemented windings, inserting means rendering the ball inflatable, closing the said small opening, and adhesively applying material covering the ball and its closed4 opening.

13. Steps in a method of making a spherical inilatable athletic game ball comprising applying over a rigid spherical form of reducible material, textile windings substantially in great circles and with the desired tightness owing to the rigidity of theform, said textile windings being treated with cement bonding them in an adhesive relationship, cutting said cemented great circle textile windings providing a comparatively small opening therethrough too small to permit passage of the spherical form, reducing the material of the rigid form and removing said reduced material through said small opening cut in the cemented windings, inserting means rendering the ball inflatable, closing the said small opening including applying means extending across said cut and connecting together the margins of the material along the small cut to hold the cut closed, and adhesively applying material covering the ball and its closed opening.

14. Steps in a method of making a spherical inflatable athletic game ball comprising applying over a rigid spherical form of reducible material, textile windings substantially in great circles and with the desired tightness owing to the rigidity of the form, said windings taking place over a reinforcing member of prefabricated material of an area much less than the area of the balls surface, said textile windings being treated with cement to bond them in an adhesive relationship to each other and to said reinforcing member, cutting through the wall of the ball including said cemented great circle textile windings and said comparatively small prefabricated reinforcing member providing a comparatively small cut therethrough too small to permit passage of the spherical-form, leaving the cut ends or margin of the cemented textile windings bound in place by said cemented reinforcing material, reducing the material of the rigid form and removing said reduced material through said small cut, inserting means rendering the ball inflatable, and applying a cover to the ball.

15. Steps in a method of making a spherical inflatable athletic game ball comprising applying over a rigid spherical form of reducible material, textile windings substantially in great circles and with the desired tightness owing to the rigidity of the form, said windings taking place over a layer of material having a substantially nonslipping or friction surface suitable to substantially retain the textile windings in the position in which they are laid, and over a reinforcing member of prefabricated textile material of an area much less than the area of the balls surface, said textile windings being treated with cement bonding them in an adhesive relationship to each other and to said underlying layer of material and to said reinforcing member, cutting through the wall of said ball including said cemented great circle textile windings and said prefabricated reinforcing member providing a comparatively small opening therethrough too small to permit passage of the spherical form, leaving the cut ends or margin of the cemented textile windings bound in place by said cemented reinforcing material, reducing the material of the rigid form and removing said reduced material through said small opening, inserting means rendering the ball inflatable, closing the said small opening, and adhesively applying material covering the ball and its closed opening, said method including subjecting the inated ball to heat and pressure to eiect uniting of the parts.

16. Steps in a method according to claim 11 in which the closing of said opening in the cemented windings is effected by a patch or closure member applied therein.

17. Steps in a method of making an inflatable game ball comprising winding a textile strand in great circles upon a rigid-form of reducible material thereby forming a carcass of a textile mesh, cementing portions of said textile mesh together and to a piece of reinforcing material. of restricted area as compared with half the area of the surface of the spherical form, providing an opening through the textile mesh and its cemented reinforcing material by cutting said cemented mesh and said reinforcing material and thereby forming a patch or closure member, reducing and removing the material of the form, inserting means rendering the ball inflatable, and closing the opening by restoring and aixing the patch or closure member in said opening.

MILTON B. REACH. 

